Wheeled toy



y 6, 1953 M. E. DUNSTAN 2,833,083

' WHEELED TOY Filed July 21, 1953 INVENTOR. MFi/QY E. Du/vaTAN KITTOBNEK) WHEELED TOY Mary .E. Dunstan, Seattle, Wash., assignor to Fisher-Price Toys, Inc.,' East Aurora, N; Y.

Application'July 21, 1953, Serial No. 369,306

3 Claims. (Cl. 46-414) toy of the above stated character comprising a noveland attractive form of cart including a cage in which a plurality of balls are held captive, and which cart has a supporting axiethat is caused to rotatev with the turning of the cart supporting wheels and is equipped with means for keeping the balls, as confined in the cage, in bouncing motion as the toy is drawn or pushed along a surface.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toy that is attractive to children; safe for them to use; sturdy in its construction; long lasting, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Further objects of the invention reside in the specific details of construction of the parts of the device and in their combination and mode of operation, as will herein after be fully described.

In accomplishing the above mentioned and other objects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is an isometric view of a toy embodying the novel features of the present invention therein.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the same, showing the actuator means for one of the captive balls.

Fig. 3 is an underside view of the toy.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a toy of an alternative form of construction.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

In its present preferred form of construction as disclosed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the toy comprises a horizontally disposed base plate 10, of an elongated, rectangular form, to the opposite ends of which, and at its underside, bearing blocks 1111 are rigidly fixed; these blocks being directed transversely of the end portions of the plate 10 as well as shown in Fig. 3.

Each of the blocks 11 is formed with two holes 12 and 13. bored therethrough and similarly located in the two the plate 10 at a point midway of its opposite ends, and

extends upwardly and forwardly therefrom as has been shown in Fig 2.

Supported from and directly above the base plate 10, and parallel therewith, is a top plate 18; this being supported by means of two rows of vertical posts 19, each of which is fixed at its opposite ends in the plates. The posts in each of the two rows are equally spaced apart,

Patented May 6, 1958 and the rows are spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of posts in the rows. Also, the posts of the two rows are in alignment transversely of the base 10.

Contained between the two rows of posts, each of which rows is herein shown to comprise four posts, are three wooden balls 20. The diameter of each ball is slightly greater than the distance between posts, as is shown in Fig. 2. Therefore, each ball is retained captive within an individual cage that is defined by the upper and lower plates and 18 and four adjacent posts in the two rows.

Each ball, whilethus retained, is free for bouncing movement between the confining posts.

Formed in the top surface of the base plate 10 and in alignment lengthwise of the plate, are circular holes or sockets 22 in which the balls are adapted to come to rest, as shown in Fig. 1, when the cart is not in motion.

In the bottom of each socket and concentric thereof, is a hole 23 having a diameter that is lesser than that of the socket and within which the ball can be seated as seen in Fig. 2. In such position, the ball projects just slightly below the bottom surface of the plate 10.

Fixed to the underside of the base plate 10 and aligned with the holes 23, are leaf springs 25; each spring being secured in position by a staple 26 that is applied over one end thereof. The free ends of the'three leaf springs extend, respectively, across the three holes 23, and each spring terminates in a downwardly inclined end portion 25x, seen in Fig. 2, that is disposed at one side of the axle 15. Fixed in the axle 15 are plates 27 which are adapted, when the axle rotates, to engage with the end of the corresponding spring 25, thus to flex and then release the spring so that it will snap against and drive the corresponding ball upwardly and cause it to bounce up and down between the posts whereby it is confined. Thus, as the toy is drawn or pushed along a surface and the axle 15 is revolved by the wheels 16, the balls 20 will be kept in constant bouncing motion, each time coming to rest in a socket 22 and hole 23 for impingement by the actuating spring 25.

In Fig. 4, I have shown an alternative form of cart construction, which comprises parts which for the most part are arranged in a manner similar to the arrangement of parts in the cart already described, but in which the connecting bar 14 is omitted and the axle 15 is located therein, and in the base of each depression is a small hole 31 opening into a socket 33 of larger diameter that is bored upwardly into the plate, and opens to the bottom thereof.

Fixedly supported in each of the sockets 33, is a coiled spring 34 that bears upwardly against a disk 35 that, in turn is seated against the bottom of the sockets, and on which disk a knob 37 is formed and extends upwardly into contact with the corresponding ball 20 when the ball is rested in the depression. Fixed rigidly to and extended downwardly from the disks 35 are stems 38, terminating just above the level of axle 15. Fixed radially in the axle and extended therefrom are plates 39 which will engage the stems 38 as the shaft is rotated, thus to cause a snapping action of the disks whereby the disk knob will cause the bouncing action of the balls.

Toys of the character described are attractive to children, safe for them to use, long lasting and inexpensive. They may be made in various sizes, and of various materials, and each may be made to accommodate one or more of the balls 20.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A toy comprising, base plate means, substantially parallel rows of substantially parallel posts carried by said base plate means and extending upwardly therefrom, there being the same number of posts in each of said rows thereof with the corresponding posts of said rows thereof being substantially aligned, thereby defining a number of ball confining cages equal to one less than the number of said posts in each of said rows thereof, the posts of each of said rows thereof being substantially equally spaced and said rows of posts beinglspaced apart a distance substantially equal to the spacing between theposts of each of said rows thereof, whereby said cages are of generally square cross sectional configuration, a ball having a diameter exceeding the space between adjacent of said posts movably confined within each of said cages, said balls having a normal position of rest adjacent the lower ends of said cages, means supportingsaidbase plate means for movement along a supporting suraee, r;es,ilient actuats m n Po t ned adi snt aid ow reas nds for ttsesinssaid a andm nsio lte nately etractin nd abrup y re easin idsactu tinsnte nst P y. snap a b ll a ay tromthdrnesitionsof rest as said toy isvmoved ,along a supporting surface.

2. A toy asset forth in claim 1 Whereinsaid last-named means are arranged to retract and release said actuating means in accord with the predetermined sequence.

3. A toy comprising, a base plate means, axle means journaled on said base plate means, wheelmeans carried by said axle means and supporting the toy for rolling movement along a supporting surface, said axle means rotin i h aid whe Lm ans,.aorma11ysenera11ynpri ht ball confining means carried, by said base plate means, a ball movably disposed within said confining means, resilient actuating means positioned adjacent the lower end of said confining means for engaging said ball, and means on said axle means for alternately retracting and suddenly releasing said actuating means to periodically snap said ball upwardly in said confining means as said toy is rolled along a supporting surface, wherein said 'base plate means has a socket therein, and whereinsaid actuatingmeans includes coil spring means alined with said socket, a disklike member supported on said spring means for engaging said ball, said disk-like member being movable within said socket, and a stem fixedto said disk-likemember and extending downwardly therefrom through said spring means for being engaged by said means on said axle means.

References Cited in the file. of this patent UNITED "STATES PATENTS 1,247;342 Somogyi i Nov, 20,, 19.17

2,186,465 -Miller 1311.9, 1940 2,578,579 Mysels 'Dec. 11, 1951 2,747,328 Zalkind May 29, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 739,474 France Oct. 25, 1932 

